Curse

Shrapnel_Magnet · Mar 30, 2005, 11:27 AM // 11:27

This is for all you Beta Scum out there. Yeah, have you guys been to the North American Guild Wars Official Site lately? What's there? Nothing. Well, I shouldn't say that... we DO get Fan Site Fridays and such, but we yearn for MORE. It's the North American way! Seriously though...

Turns out that we've been getting the Cold Shoulder on few things about Guild Wars.

NCSoft is good to their people... they show them things that we can only guess at. Unless of course you're in the Alpha Test and you get to see these things everyday. But if you're like me... and I'm sure you are, you have to settle for what we're "allowed" to see. I'm going to take some time here to fill you in on some things that what we've been missing... and others have been seeing.

They already get their 30k tourney, over in Korea. If you open your GW Client, you'll see that the UI has also changed... away from it's previous Western look to a more Korean friendly and colourful look. In addition to all of this, they get a much more in-depth peak at the full GW World.

First, we have the GW Map. We only get to see a tiny portion of this during the BWE. This is what Guild Wars Korea gets to see when they go to their Official Site.

Full Map?

Is this the Full Map? Who knows. This only shows the Missions. If we were to zoom in, there would be explorable areas all around them, I'm sure. The fact remains that it's a hell of a lot more than we get to see... however the Koreans can view it like it was nothing. If you were to ask an Alpha if they could confirm this, they'd prolly be in breach of the NDA, but it's publically available information...

How about those Guild Halls? I have reason to believe that there may be at least one more. If it's not a Guild Hall, then who knows what it is. Either way, it shows that there are areas explorable near the lava-looking islands of the map.

First

Second

To top it all off, the Korean Guild Wars Official Site has IN-DEPTH tutorials on how the entire game works. In North America, I guess they leave all the work to the dutiful Fan-Sites... so they get to deal with all these players who ask the same questions over and over. Seriously, take a look for youself. If you can read Korean, please fill us in on some of the info, if there's any that's worth sharing. Make sure you look around the site well, click everything, view every picture... you won't see it anywhere else, until release... or until we get a real Official Site with information that's worth reading. Instead, we get a nice FAQ with absolutly no visuals.

Even their profession section has all of the available skills, as far as I can tell, listed, with pictures and, I'm guessing, a description.

Here's there player guide as well.

Korean Official Guild Wars Site

Page of the Map here.

Lava Guild Hall (or whatever) here . It's at the bottom of the page.

Personally, I'm just dissapointed with the lack of info that we have access to. I'm not trying to "expose" anyone or blame anyone at all... I'd just like to see more of this available to the English Speaking world... or for that matter, anyone... Germans, Italians, etc. We're all fans.

Jeanette · Mar 30, 2005, 11:33 AM // 11:33

Thats cool and all but the one thing I disagree on is the world map you showed (Full Map), I saw that before if I'm not mistaken, when I loaded in the march beta.

Shrapnel_Magnet · Mar 30, 2005, 11:35 AM // 11:35

Look at the bottom left (Edit: RIGHT!)... those missions near the Tombs were definately NOT in the Beta.

Cain · Mar 30, 2005, 12:07 PM // 12:07

ArenaNet can either spend time programming the game, or making a fancy website. I'd prefer that they worked on the game. The Koreans aren't busy designing the game so they have all the time in the world to make a fancy website. Don't forget that almost all of Korea has broadband Internet while most of North America and Europe are still using dialup.

As far as that being the full map...you'll have to wait a month and find out.

Xma · Mar 30, 2005, 12:23 PM // 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrapnel_Magnet

Look at the bottom left... those missions near the Tombs were definately NOT in the Beta.

Guys, please don't point out Shrapnel's problems with left and right,
thank you for your cooperation.

Spooky · Mar 30, 2005, 12:26 PM // 12:26

There's not really a great deal I can say on the matter without getting myself to the point where I have to wonder what is, and isn't an acceptable response to provide.

I think I can say that the English speaking parts of the world are not intentionally getting the shaft. The amount of information that is being shown and provided (either directly, or indirectly, through methods like the FFs) is the amount that ArenaNet wants released. NCSoft decided to handle things differently for their audience, perhaps against the wishes of AN themselves .. and this is what comes of it.

It's pointless to deny the possibilities of this and that when these images are presented in an 'official' capacity, and have already been picked up by several fansites. It's not something I would have posted here, but I don't fault others for doing it ... sites want to do what they can to draw in and appease their audience, and being able to present something like that is certainly a draw. I'm not going to say anything on the completion of that map except to state the obvious, it has been around for a few months. There's one month till release, and then hopefully, none of this will matter anymore.

thaumaturge · Mar 30, 2005, 12:44 PM // 12:44

Hmm interesting write up Shrapnel. I don't know what's what in regards to exactly what we get over the Koreans. But perhaps the things the Koreans are playing are not completely up to scratch for us english chaps. If you like the Koreans are beta testing the beta. But I don't know if that holds much truth since there are so many and they have serious tournaments going. So perhaps with more people they require more content. Not sure why we don't get it then though.

What does interest me is a) that cool guild hall with lava and b) that extra map region down bottom right.
I don't think ArenaNet would give it to the Koreans alone forever would they?

Ellestar · Mar 30, 2005, 01:02 PM // 13:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrapnel_Magnet

To top it all off, the Korean Guild Wars Official Site has IN-DEPTH tutorials on how the entire game works. In North America, I guess they leave all the work to the dutiful Fan-Sites...

Not a big problem, at least they need American fan sites. Say, they don't even care AT ALL about a Russian fan site. At_Farel claims that community representative of ArenaNet don't respond to emails at all. I'm not 100% sure about that, but he said about that to me numerous times and was angry about that. So, most likely that it's true.

More than that, ArenaNet has a link to a clan forum as a recommended Russian forums on a links page. I mean, come on. Who the hell officially recommends a clan forum on an official game site to use as a country forums? Did you ever saw disrespect like that in any other game?

Greentongue · Mar 30, 2005, 01:04 PM // 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spooky

There's not really a great deal I can say on the matter without getting myself to the point where I have to wonder what is, and isn't an acceptable response to provide.

If it has been released to the Koreans, can not an English version of the same released content be made available? The same information translated to English for example. The same screen shots. etc...

worthless · Mar 30, 2005, 01:54 PM // 13:54

anyone know where i can get a laungauge thingy to translate it all so i can read the site

?

Inde · Mar 30, 2005, 02:03 PM // 14:03

I don't think that was Spooky's point GreenTongue - the idea is that NCSoft is marketing it as they wish in Korea, and ArenaNet in America. NCSoft is blowing the doors open, whereas ArenaNet is keeping it a bit more wrapped up.

Personally I like the ArenaNet approach - the game is in beta. Once it comes out full the thrill of exploration is always unmatched

Kityn · Mar 30, 2005, 02:15 PM // 14:15

Is it possible that the korean GW is or will be differant than the u.s. and europe GW?

Kiwi · Mar 30, 2005, 03:43 PM // 15:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by czymann

Is it possible that the korean GW is or will be differant than the u.s. and europe GW?

Not likely, if so it would be only very minor tweaks and such. No one will be getting some special area or mission.

----------------------------------

I love the new client, much smoother then before. The other was rough. But with this I think we might see a change in like the skill bar and such. Maybe it will be smoother like the client.

thegriffgeeks · Mar 30, 2005, 05:51 PM // 17:51

Nice website they have there. Good flash, and the color theme changes based on where you are in the site.

Maybe once GW gets released, they'll do something similar for the English site.

:EDIT:
Yes I saw the new client to..I like the Guildwars across the top and that the options is now a button with it's own window.

Aria · Mar 30, 2005, 06:38 PM // 18:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegriffgeeks

Nice website they have there. Good flash, and the color theme changes based on where you are in the site.

Maybe once GW gets released, they'll do something similar for the English site.

I very much doubt that they will. Why? Like Cain (and Gaile) has said in the past, most of Korea has access to broadband. If not in their homes, they have it on every street corner in the form of internet cafes.

If you make a flash-heavy website such as the Korean GW website, you'll find that a lot of dial-up users get very very unhappy. And, in both the US and Europe, again, there are massive amounts of dialup users.

I very much believe that one of the main reasons that the Korean website is so flashy is that they don't have to worry about users with slow internet connections. At all. So.. if anyone wants to complain about how plain the English GW website is in comparison to the Korean site, go blame it on the relatively slower spread of broadband in the US/Europe/the rest of the world, instead.

As for Shrapnel_Magnet, on the contrary, I don't feel like "beta scum." I remain feeling quite privileged to see this game before release. What's that saying? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth? We can argue about fairness, rights, and obligations all you want.. but the bottom line for me is that ANet has been more fair, open, and welcoming in their dealings with their fans than any other gaming company I've seen.

Besides, as others have said, there remains only one month before the release of the game. Yelling to see more at this point seems to rise more from a lack of patience, than from any firm, concrete situation of gross inequality that remains entirely grounded in reality.. We'll see it all on April 28th (and most of us, on April 27th). And the Koreans will see just as much as we do, then -- no more, no less. If anything, I'm grateful that I haven't seen what the Koreans have seen.

Again, like others have said.. I will be getting a surprise, and that feeling of actually stepping into a familiar, loved world that promises many many new surprises. At that point, when the day of release dawns, every surprise that has faded away by being revealed in the BWE will be one less joy that I can discover -- all breathlessly at once.

Do you want more crumbs, or a bigger final portion of the cake? Intact? I choose the cake, thank you very much.

Shrapnel_Magnet · Mar 30, 2005, 06:50 PM // 18:50

lol, yeah... the other LEFT...

But yeah, I totally agree, I prefer A.Net's approach as well. I'm also aware that the Korean Site is all NCSoft's doing... I just feel "jealous" I guess you could say.

Also, if it's been picked up by fansites before, which I'm sure it has (as you've said), I wonder why it hasn't been spread too far? Maybe it has and I'm totally out of the loop, I dunno. The fact remains that I'd rather these shots not exist at all. If the Korean Site only had readily available information (to everyone) and none of this other stuff, I'd be fine.

I'd still be a little put off by the wealth of info provided. I'm sure once the game is out, this kind of stuff would be on the North American site... I'm talking about the tutorials and such. Perhaps there'll be a Manual...

I'd like to see the Korean Site translated, but whatever... it's like a month away from release and it's really not important.

EDIT: I wasn't trying to make a "nasty reference" with beta scum... lol, I just thought it sounded funny.

Loviatar · Mar 30, 2005, 07:10 PM // 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by worthless

anyone know where i can get a laungauge thingy to translate it all so i can read the site

?

google the word translate for whichever one you want

babble isnt bad

IceD'Bear · Mar 30, 2005, 07:12 PM // 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loviatar

google the word translate for whichever one you want

babble isnt bad

With google or bablefish you can translate the whole page...the only trouble is, that most of the text are pictures or flash and can't be translated.

Aria · Mar 30, 2005, 07:15 PM // 19:15

Maybe it's just because I really do love the GW fansites.. but I actually prefer fan made guides to official ones. Why? I always get the impression that the official ones give you a line of description, and that's it.. I would rather have it be in depth, with all the information there.. as well as the extras that comprehensive player guides seem to stuff in, most of the time.

To me, leaving the main GW site minimalistic gives more room for the other fansites. One of the main reasons that I plowed through fansites in the beginning of my GW experience was because I was looking for particular skills. Sure, there might be discrepancies across the fansites on this damage range, or that recharge time.. but that's to be expected with a game that's under constant balancing before release. The skill listings, equipment guides, etc, all place a lot of emphasis on the fansites, and on the GW community. In my mind, it fosters a great deal of independence, and of course, is much easier to manage.

And, I also have that undoubtedly over-simplistic opinion that less time spent on developing the website means more time spent on developing the game.

So.. to me.. there are definitely different ways of doing things.. but that doesn't mean that one method is better than the other. We have a great, vibrant fansite community here.. (I see people I know from forums every single time I step into LA) and that's partly because of the importance that ANet gives to fansites in letting them have the spotlight on skills, items, beginners' guides, etc. I really don't know much about the Korean website, as I don't speak/write/read Korean, but with such a bright and overpowering official website.. I doubt that the fansites are as important to the players by far.

Davion · Mar 30, 2005, 07:25 PM // 19:25

do I personally speak Korean? umm not even close...

but the interfacings and handlings of the site are very similar.

As for content; there are a few things(details) not found stateside for sure, but if you notice, they don't have ALL skills listed or divulged. A few different ones I haven't seen before but not all in either case.
The map is almost identical to MOONS, with the exceptions of some interesting little details in the bottom corner. No biggie. I would imagine those details will become available in the next beta for us by the diligence of MOON & Company (hehe kinda sounds like a corporate underground).

It looks more like a different approach and schedule to the same level of information than it does a free reign into the delvings of it. Not to mention, the guides give the impression of player bias and experience.

(mind you this is from just paying attention to the imaging and interfacing...so I could be a little off..but I don't think so. It looks to me like they have the same restrictions just that they may be a little further along than us because of the nature of their positioning to NCSoft...not because they are getting a free pass)

As for me? No. I am not worried in the least. Game isn't that far from release and the shared community resource we have available on this site alone far outstrips any competitive site notion or unfair advantage they might possibly have.